
Class. 



Ll2 



THE CRISIS: 



AN APPEAt TO A 



CANDID WOPvLD 



ON THE 



W A R 



ENTERED INTO 



BY THE UNITED STATES OF AIRIERTCA, 



AGAINST 



GREAT-BRITAIN AND HER DEPENDENCIES, 



THE DERNIER RESORT IN DEFENCE OF AMERICAN INDE 
PENDENCE ; NEGOCIATION, AND EVERY OTHER 
PACIFIC MEASURE BEING FIRST TRIED, , 
AND HAVING FAILED. 



HECOMMENDED TO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE PEOPIE OP ESGIANU, THI 
rilEIfCH EMPEROR, AI^D THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA IN PAHTICrtAR. 



BY COLUMBUS. 

*Ht**** ********* ******* 



The Crisis, &c. 



VP^AR declared against England, suits the Republicans or 
Democrats, as is said ; war against France, would suit the 
Federalist and not the Republicans, as is also said. A 
partiality for either nation by either party, in preference 
to their native country and government, nothing can be 
more erroneous ; at the same time nothing is more true 
and undeniable, by the candid independent American, than 
at the time of the adoption of the Constitution of the 
United States, it had its advocates and opposers, which 
was very natural; from this circumstance, our adminis- 
trations of the general government, with the exception 
of Washington's, have been party administrations. 

The advocates for the adoption of the Constitution, dis- 
tinguished by the name of Federalist, and its opposers by 
the appellation of anti-federalist. Here began our divi- 
sions ; and from this period you may date the commence- 
ment of our civil wars ; not carried on with fire and sword, 
as with the houses of York and Lancaster in England, 
but with licentious neivspapers^pampfdets and handbills ; 
thdr authors and devotees arrayed against each other to 
obtain the object of their wishes. The contest being who 
shall govern the good-natured, well-disposed sovereign 
people^ who always mean well, and will act accordingly 
if not misled, and who may be compared to the mighty 
but docile Elephant, who suffers his keeper, a diminutive 
two-legged animal, to command him to lie down and rise 
g,t the sound of his voice; v.hen iu a snoment v."ith his 



elastic perboses, the weakest part of liis body, he could 
brush from the f. ice of the earth this little despot, who he 
permits to lord it over him. In this struggle to possess 
the sovereign people, to become their keeper, to make 
the most of them to answer the objects of contending am- 
bitious dem.agogues; the national character, honour, 
and interest has, in a great degree, been lost sight 
of, and instead of being the first, has been but a se- 
condary consideration ; of course, the national wodfare has 
been the sport of foreign nations, particularly of the two 
great belligerents, France and England; which has 
brought us as a people into serious but not inextricable 
difficulties. For this state of things the leaders of both 
parties are equally blameable, and both belligerents 
equally criminal, impolitic and unwise for violating the 
rights of the American people, by taking the advantage of 
the petty disreputable squabbles of their leaders in a con- 
test, for the enjoyment of temporary power and dominion, 
which has terminated in a war with one of the belligerents, 
ivhich might have been expected as the natural result. A 
war permitted by Divine Providence, it would appear, to 
bring us back and bind us as a people to first principles : 
having gone astray, we were fast sinking into despotism., 
the common grave of all republics when governed by fac- 
tion, and regulated by discord. When the people place 
implicit confidence in an individual, or individuals, and not 
in the const itutien of their country, and just and equal 
laws erainating therefrom, the united will of the nation 
for which we contended with Great-Britain as colonies, 
and now contend vinth her as an independent nation, they 
must fall. But when they place their trust in those 
never-failing safeguards, their constitution and their laws, 



iheywill remain independent^ secure, and free as r peo- 
ple. In the present, as in the former contest' with Eng- 
land, if governed by first principle? and regulated by jus- 
tice and humanity, our cause being of this sacred nature, 
and act in concert as a united people, we must prevail — 
failure is impossible. 

In my humble opinion, as an individual, the war enter- 
ed into with England has been provoked on her part, and, 
is a war of self-defence. A war of necessity is just, there- 
fore lawful. For my part, being engaged in the coloniel 
struggle, as a native American, had the declaration of war 
included France also, it would have been also just and 
lawful; and I really wished it • but the government hav' 
ing thought it the better policy to engage one of the bel- 
ligerents at present, I am content to maintain the contest, 
as it has been entered iutoby a majority of the people, in 
their representative capacity, the voice of the nation, as de- 
clared by the Constitution. I make no doubt, however, 
before matters are fmally adjusted with England and 
France, both parties will be satisfied of the impartiality of 
the government, in her resentments towards both bellige- 
rents, under similar insults and injuries from them both, 
too long borne with by our government. France and 
England have calculated on the imbecility of our govern- 
ment, and the divisions of our citizens ; and have gone fur- 
ther in their calculations on that imbecility and those di- 
visions than the case will warrant, not knowing our true 
character as a people. We may honestly ditler in our 
opinions, and divide on the question who is most fit to be 
our president, but we never can differ or divide on the ques- 
tion whether England or France, or both, shall insult us 
with impunity, di\id6, conquer, and parlritiou us as Poland. 



No, tbis would be a crime against God and yiainrcj and 
trampling on the sacred ashes of the deceased patriot. — 
JNIethinks, should we outrage heaven and earth by such 
unparallelled guilt, the Supreme Beiiig would withdraw 
the light of his countenance from creation, and chaos the 
world, as the only punishment commeasurate with our 
ingratitude to heaven as a nation. 

Permit me, as an American, to express myself as such : 
estranged from all parties, or political sectaries, and feeling, 
I think, in the present crisis as an American should feel ; 
one common interest, one common concern for the nation ; 
one who only fears doing wrong, one who believes death is 
a less evil than life, in slavery and disgrace ; whether ap- 
plicable to individuals or nations ; one who would rather 
die a freeman tlian live a slave; without the fear of 
contradiction I may venture to say, I speak the sentiments 
and feelings of nine-tenths of native Americans of all po- 
litical sectaries, as to the justice, propriety, and unavoida- 
ble necessity of the present war, party spirit to the 
country notwithstanding. Under this inipression I 
would have France and England both to be assured of 
this solemn truth, that they will fmd the American peo- 
ple, in defence of their just rights and independence, as a 
nation, one and indivisible ; and with one heart and one 
voice, \\'\\\ support and defend the government of their 
choice at every hazard, whether administered by Federal- 
ists or Republicans; being all Federalists and Republi- 
cans in this respect. 

Disti7iciio)is, viischievoiis distinctions, raised and kept 
up by ambitious, juggling politicians, as a political mist 
to blind the eyes of the people, the better to deceive and 
mislead them, to obtain power and place; in which design 



7 

the artful have been too successful ; and France and Eng- 
land deceived as to the real character of the people of 
America; if they calculated on divisions in our country 
crowine out of those distinctions being any thing more 
than superficial. England, take this for granted, for the 
wrongs you have committed against America, if you flat- 
ter yourself that the Federalists, as a party, from partial- 
ity towards you, will not demand and obtain a redress for 
those wrongs when in power ; you have mistaken their 
true character as a party. And France may also rest 
assured, that the Republicans or democrats, as a partj- , 
will unite with the Federalists when in power to obtain a 
redress fur wrongs and injuries committed by France. — 
This must be the conduct of both parties in America, in a 
dispute with foreign powers, or the people must give up 
their government and independence. 

The Corsican tyrant, perjured Frenchmen's master, 
who swore as a people never to submit to a royal govern- 
ment, have submitted to Bonaparte, the destroyer of na- 
tions, plunderer of American commerce, and would be 
conqueror of the world ; need not falicitate himself with 
our declaration of war against England, from partiality tor 
wards France. We know and feel the injurious effects of 
his robberies, and the maltreatment of our defenceless 
citizens ; he shall not escape our just indignation, and 
claims upon him for retribution : no, the moment England 
has done us justice, I would, to obtain that same justice 
from France, draw the sword and swear to heaven never to 
sheathe it till obtained. Our war with England will 
soon terminate in a peace ; it is not a war of ambition, and 
for conquest, but to maintain our rights as peaceable neu- 
trals, to obtain that common justice which individuals havfe 



a right to demand one ot another by hw, under the respec- 
ti\ e civil governments in which they live. The same jus- 
tice we .demand as a nation, under the laws of nations ; 
but having no other appeal but to the sword to obtain it, 
remo.istrance and negociation having been treated by the 
beiJigerenn with contempt, and construed into cowardice 
and i.;ability on the part of the American government, 

A change in the British ministry, with a Chatham's prin- 
ciples at the head, the real friend and advocate of the true 
interest and real defender of EngHsh liberty and American 
riglils, Vv'ili settle and speedily adjust the unhappy differ- 
ences between the two countries. 

Nothing short of England's beii'g governed and directed 
by the wisdom and virtue of the eider Pitt, ai this critical 
moment, can save from desiruction the British govern- 
ment. Had the wisdom and policy of lord Chatham 
been pursued, it would have preserved the American col- 
onies to the crown of Britain, and can now only save and 
preserve to Englishmen their chartered rights. If adopted 
by the new ministry, Chatham's policy will blast all Bona- 
parte's ambitious designs to destroy the freedom and inde- 
pendence of the two countries, his grand aim and object. 
If the Corsican usurper and imperial tyrant of France 
should resent ^\merica's making a speedy peace with Eng- 
land, such a peace as an independent government thinks 
proper to make with England, or any other power, Amer- 
ica and England can limit tlie French tyrant to the natural 
boundaries of France, to rule and tyrannize over French- 
men solely, who would in less than three years destroy the 
tyrant, if to bear the weight of his despotism only. In a 
word, situated as France and England are, and ever have 
been, in hostility with each other ; friendship with the 



one nation is piesumed enmity with the other, and yet no- 
thing is more incorrect ; as to the real disposition of Amer- 
ica towards France and England. America obtained her in- 
dependence at every sacrilice,and wished to enjoy it in peace 
with all the world. Like a young beginner, she endeavor- 
ed to cultivate an acquaintance and secure the friendship 
of all nations, not the savage nations excepted ; and by her 
industry and enterprize in this pacific course, to recover 
the wealth she had lost, and to repair the waste the havoc 
of war had made in her revolutionary struggle in defence 
of her just rights, which resulted in her independence as a 
nation ; to maintain which, assumed a neutral character, 
as the most prudent step to secure this desirable and all- 
important end ; thinking, vainly thinking to live in peace 
and harmony with all nations, and even with the two great 
contending nations, France and England; who, when 
pressed in their conflicts with each other, unjustly expect- 
ed to be partially favoured by America. England, be- 
cause as she pretended was fighting the battles of the 
world, in favour of the emancipation of Europe, chained 
down by Bonaparte on land ; and France, as she pre- 
tended, was fighting the battles of the world, in defence of 
the rights of nations on the ocean from which defenceless 
nations were excluded by the despotism, and irresistible 
navy of England, when in truth and in fact, each of the 
belligerents, under false colours, were contending for uni- 
versal dominion, regardless of all the rest of the world, 
and sacrificing on the altar of vile ambition, the independ- 
ence, interest and feelings of every nation who attempted 
to resist this hellish thirst and passion for wealth and pow- 
er. America attempting under such circumstances to 

maintain equal and exact justice to both belligerents in 

B 



10 

particular, and the rest of the nations in general, has been 
treated by both France and England in return, with insult 
and injustice, a natural consequence ; and to be expected 
in a contest between ambitious princes, contending for 
power and universal dominion, there being no such thing 
as friendship and gratitude between nations who are go- 
verned only by policy, the go\ erniiig principle of all na- 
tions, which truth, the experience of ages has long since 
established beyond the possibility of refutation. The only 
safeguard nations have is in the maintainance of their inde- 
pendence untrammelled with intangling alliances, relying 
upan themselves and possessing boldness and ability to 
defend that independence, and all it lawfully and justly 
embraces at every hazard ; and on the first attack to resist 
the first invader be he whom he may, at the threshold of 
the ark of their liberty. France and England may rest 
assured of this solemn truth ; as Americans, though we 
prefer a slate of peace, to that of war, the genius of our 
government, the disposition of the people, and a just poli- 
cy dictating that preference. Yet if we cannot enjoy this 
blessing, without a sacrifice of our independence as a na- 
tion ; and remain secure in the enjoyment of our rights 
and privileges, as a free people, we can, we will fight and 
spill the last drop of blood, to maintain and defend those 
rights. If the American people divide on the choice of 
candidates most fit to be entrusted with the administration 
of their government, this is not the concern of England or 
France ; but their own, and not the business of any othei 
nation or people under heaven. I have observed, I had 
estranged myself from all political sectaries ; more proper 
ly speaking, I never was in principle connected with either 
of them : my devotion is, and ever has been to my country 



11 

from the commencement of the glorious struggle of Ameri- 
ca in opposition to the unjustifiable pretence of Brittain to 
bind her in all cases whatsoever ; which terminated in our 
independence, the adoption of a free constitution, and the 
establishment of a government, if virtuously administered, 
the best, last, and only hope, of the rational advocates of 
political and civil liberty. In a few words, my creed is 
that sense of liberty tested by just and equal laws, in op- 
position to the will of a tyrant or tyrants, governing by 
caprice and oppressing mankind, rtgardless of all law ; 
for where there is no legal restraint, there can be no liber- 
ty in civil society ; an other article in my creed is, where 
the greatest regard is paid by men in church or state to 
justice, mercy, truth and humanity, proven by practice ; 
those men I prefer as associates, called by whatsoever 
name they may be, by designing knaves and their piteable 
tools : these principles I have, and hope I ever shall be 
governed by while in this v,^orld of strife. But when a 
war is commenced against the violators of our rights as a 
people, and our independence as a nation, by the govern- 
ment of our choice, which ever party or sectary happens to 
be in power, one and all, have solemnly and constitution- 
ally pledged themselves to defend their country ; there- 
fore let him not shrink from his duty, or desert her in the 
day of trial. Who would not as an American, rather die 
a freeman than live under any other sovereignty than the 
sovereignty of the constitution, and the laws of the peo- 
ple's own making, by their representatives freely chosen ; 
the greatest possible freedom a nation can enjoy. 



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